Jaded
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: They are both jaded from how the world wronged them. Both feel like they were betrayed by those who swore to protect. And neither are ones who will ever be caught beaten down again. Huh, maybe this friendship could work out. YJ Red Hood and Arsenal. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : 'I should post stories on my backburner,' I think. Why not? This is actually my first YJ one I finished but couldn't edit it to where I was happy. Story of my life.

So here we go. Not much to say, a couple months post-Invasion, and with the assumption that both Roy/Arsenal and Jason are in their late teens at this point. Rated T for language, mostly, and some violence in the next chapter.

Oh, and Jason Todd is precious bundle of rage that must be protected at all costs with a ten-foot pole.

* * *

The quiet warehouse had the barest sound of gears turning, and the slide of a window opening went unnoticed. The redhead was able to work; no one bothered him here. He was sure that others knew where his hideaway was – one of the empty warehouses in Star City – but they knew better to bother him. Thus, the ability Roy had to work without distractions. The implied part of that statement was that no one was able to sneak up on him: not Ollie, not his cloned self, not any other heroes or villains. This was his private space. No one would sneak up on him ever again. When someone slammed down on his desk while he was focusing on new taser darts, for a moment he was too stunned to do anything. That was a dead man's wish though, and a second later without looking up he slammed his finished work into the intruder's arm, sending an electric shock that should do damage.

Roy expected a cry of pain or something that was successful. However, all the 'victim' did was grit his teeth and withstand it. Looking up at the offending face, he growled out. "The hell do you want?"

He wasn't sure what he expected to see. He knew it wasn't a teenage face with a domino mask similar to the young members of the Bat Clan wore. Even with it on, Roy could detect that he was being glared at. Yeesh, it was even semi-competent compared to Bat-glare. Only Nightwing came that close to mimicking it that well, and only if he was really mad. Nonetheless, he couldn't say he's seen the intruder before, and he wasn't offered an introduction.

"I hear you're good with _arsenal_." It may be because he just shocked the kid, or he was the blunt type in general, but the masked teen didn't phrase it as a question but through gritted teeth.

Roy tensed. He himself was not wearing his mask right now, and very few knew his secret identity. It did not bode well for him that this unknown seemed to. Maybe it was because he was mildly impressed he was snuck up on no problem, but he did not shoot the offender to make him go away. "What's it to you?"

The teenager – really he couldn't be much older than him – propped his elbows down and leaned in close. If it was anyone else, Roy would have expected the next words to come out in a conspirator whisper. Instead, what came out was a dangerous growl. Yep, definitely reminded him of a Bat. "I need stock up, and you're it."

He scoffed at the command and instead stated the most obvious observation he made so far. "Are you a Bat? I swear that only you guys could sneak up like that. And if you are go to th-" A muzzle pressed into the underside of his chin before he could blink or finish his thought. Okay, since when did this guy have a gun? He failed to spot any over his initial once over.

Everything screamed that this was turning into a hostage situation unless he did what this madman wanted, but Roy was stuck on ice for several years- not much fazed him. He raised a questioning eyebrow and stated plainly. "Sensitive much? And what makes you think I'll do it." If the other teen truly was a madman then Roy's brains would have been blown out right there. The dark-haired stranger only pressed his lips together in an amused line and lowered his gun. He would never admit it, but Roy let out a sigh of relief.

"I figured you would be someone I could make do it." He straightened his posture and placed his hands behind his head, almost in a casual gesture, gun still held loosely in one hand. "I don't exactly have money for it."

Roy scowled. "And you thought I will acquire some tech for you for free? I don't take customers, especially trigger-happy nut-jobs." The boy's hand twitched, yet he made no move to threaten him again.

"I can do something for you. Just name it. I'm not a hired assassin-" his words came out as a detested growl "-anymore than you are a weapons dealer. However, I'll need some goods soon and need to be stocked up. Thought I'll try you."

The obvious answer was no. He may be on edge with all other heroes, but he wasn't unhinged enough to cause trouble for them from a guy who clearly was. It wasn't that reason why he stopped to consider the offer. A quiet voice in the back of his head said he could understand whoever this kid was. After a minute of silence he spoke out. "I have a beef against Lex Luthor."

His 'customer' gave him a dubious look without any shock behind it. Whatever the kid knew about him, it included his history. A twinge of frustration formed at the base of his neck from that. Roy was the only one who had no idea who he was speaking to.

"Do you want me to kill him?" The tone was casual, too casual for someone who looked so young. Despite his unease with the words, Roy felt a paradoxical comfort at that.

He shook his head. Eyes looked down at his weaponized arm out of anger and grief. "No, I wouldn't ask you to do that." His masked companion looked unimpressed at the words. Roy ignored him. "He's kind of untouchable right now, and if I'm going to put stress and satisfaction on anyone for doing it then it will be me."

The teenager smirked. "Fine. I'll scare him for you. Then you'll make me a deal." For the second time, it wasn't a question. Roy's jaw twitched in annoyance, and he shrugged.

"You got it. What do you want, kid?"

Satisfied, the he stored his gun and listed off his fingers. "Some smoke pellets and bombs, several flash grenades, some tranq shots that I can use when I run out of bullets or around civilians, and if you can make some normal bullets on top of that it will be great." Roy's mouth almost twisted into a smile. Besides the last one, everything sounded like something a Bat would use. Not wanting the gun directed at him for a second time, he wised up and did not point it out. He was also somewhat relieved that the guy wasn't a complete psychopath if he considered it on his conscience to not accidentally kill civilians in the crossfire.

"That's a lot for one favor to screw with a scumbag." Roy retorted. Yes, he would still do it if the other pulled through. It was a project to work on and he did not go through his own supply fast enough to keep entertained by making more.

The dark look and stiffened posture threw him off for a second, but the words spoke next resonated in the empty space. "Tell me it's not worth it." Roy thought of losing years of his life, his arm, and coming to in a world where he was cloned and his father figure first hadn't noticed and later hadn't cared enough to continue looking. He met the angry gaze with a dark look of his own. He would very much like to see Luthor suffer.

"It's worth it."

His new acquaintance's posture relaxed, and he leaned forward on his desk again. "Great. You can start working on them as soon as possible then. It'll take me a few days to get to Metropolis and back since I don't think the zeta beams will recognize me." The disdain present made Roy provide a questioning glance, although he kept quiet. He nodded, but the hesitancy must have shown somewhere on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't come back until my job's done." The voice dropped into an accented drawl, and after several seconds debating, Roy recognized it as one from Gotham's streets as he heard the few times he went to that cursed city. He was now 99% sure that the kid was a Bat, yet one he did not recognize. He didn't think much on it since he was accustomed to years of missed information.

"You have yourself a deal. Make sure if you do succeed with Luthor without killing him that it ends up on the news. I don't trust you can't do it but that you are probably a horrible storyteller." The masked vigilante snorted and with a smirk started to walk away.

"Oh, it'll definitely end up on the news." Roy rolled his eyes when the possible-associate-for-aggravated-assault went on, "And I never got your name."

"You already know it, apparently. It's Arsenal. Shouldn't I be the one to ask you that?"

Jason paused, staring up at the sky light. He didn't know this Roy before he died, but there's the smallest possibility that he would recognize his name. The last thing he wanted was for word to get to Batman before he was ready to make his appearance. He'll keep to what he already decided. There wasn't much harm in that.

"You can call me Red Hood."

* * *

 **A/N** : It's hard to write for characters that have dozens of interpretations (hundreds+ if you include fan ones), and I should have the second half up once I'm happy with how I wrote Luthor.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Here's the second half. Is it perfect? Probably not.

Thanks prettykittyluvsu for the review. I can't reply to guest reviews directly, but I still feel like I should say I nonetheless appreciate it a great deal. Unfortunately, this won't include all three of them since I don't know how I can work it in :(.

Thanks to everyone reading this humble story and hope you'll all enjoy.

* * *

Jason strolled down Metropolis with purpose, wondering all the while if this was worth it. He really needed that tech, and besides, he wanted to practice making a scene before he returned to Gotham. He did not think his first test would be against such a high-profile figure like Lex Luthor, let alone the chance he'll end up on Superman's profile. He was ready to give Bruce hell; the last thing he needed was the Krypotian's attention.

If Jason Todd was among anything right now, sane would not be one of them.

He made his way to Lex Corps with due diligence. This had taken a fair bit of planning, including sneaking too close to the Bat Cave and Wayne Manor than he would have liked. Nonetheless, he was fully equipped now and hoped that if the omnipresent Alfred saw him than he thought he was a ghost. Jason might as well be.

Stepping to a secluded spot, he pulled out his tablet. After a few minutes, he was able to hack into the company's security. He never picked up on it like Dick had, and apparently Replacement was even better than him, the bastard, but Jason was still adequate enough to cover his trail to Lex's office and check the building's blueprint to make sure he had the way out. With that done, he pulled on his helmet and set to work.

It was more difficult than he planned. Jason succeeded to spite this, leaving a window open several floors down from Luthor's office and then lay in wait the one place he was confident the cameras wouldn't catch him once they went back to normal: the executive bathroom. The former street kid snorted at the extravagance of the private bathroom, but he was in no place to judge. If anything, he was mildly impressed how Luthor secured himself in an even better position once the Reach was booted. He was still an evil asshole, but Jason thought it was notable enough to not break his original deal with Roy and not shoot the businessman dead when he came in.

Leaning against the wall he waited, with his gun resting casually in his hand. He hoped it would be soon. He couldn't keep the security on loop all day without drawing suspicions.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long. A couple minutes later Luthor walked in, and before he could call security, Jason pointed the gun at his head. "It will take me less than a second to pull this trigger, and even if your bodyguard or security apprehends me, you'll still be a dead body rotting on the floor." He drawled out.

Luthor blinked and went to summon security discreetly as Jason went on. "Don't even think about it. You'll be a dead man walking before you can do it." His voice was calm, and he smirked at his choice of words, not that Luthor could tell with Jason's face covered. He kept his gun pointed at the older man's head. "And I know you don't have security measures set up here. I checked."

He looked appeased enough to roll with it. Jason knew he only had a few minutes before he had to make a break for it, so he went over his plan in his head. Luthor spoke first. "Well, I did not expect to make any new enemy's lately, but I suppose it could not be helped. How can I be a pleasure, Mister…?"

Jason snorted. "Like I need to tell you my name, Luthor. In the end, you're not the person I want. I'm just doing a favor for someone so I can get my end of the deal." He knew that was probably saying too much, but he couldn't care less. The Bats were the only ones he wanted to keep in the dark until it was time.

Luthor quirked his brow, "But something tells me you wouldn't do this for the sole purpose of filling a contract. So… what is it that you want to tell me?" For someone at gunpoint, the businessman was unusually calm. It must have something to do with being an adversary to the Man of Steel.

Still smirking, Jason cleared his throat like he was debating to say something when two gunshots rang out. Luthor stumbled as both shoulders blossomed with fresh blood. Before security stormed in, Jason was at his side and muttered in his ear. "Don't fuck with 'sidekicks' 'cause you're going to pay dearly for it, and not by the so-called heroes."

Now it was time for high-alert. Aware that he could still end up dead (not something he wanted to repeat anytime soon), adrenaline rushed through his system as he burst through the door. Ignoring the hail of bullets, he aimed a few of his own as he made a beeline for the door. A couple shots hit his body armor, and he ignored it with a wince. The first floor he covered was the hardest, but he wasn't dead. As Jason will be the first to say, that was a plus. On the second, he used the couple spare breaths he had to completely shut down the security. Then he sprinted down the stairwell, eventually ending up where he left the window open.

'Let's see if I judged the nearest building correctly.' He had no time, of course, so took the jump with reckless abandon. Pulling out the grappling hook he stole, he managed to snag the nearest buildings edge. The fall still hurt like hell, yet he chose an escape route that only dropped two and a half stories from the window to the nearby roof top. Out of all his crazy plans? Six out of ten. Not bad Todd, he congratulated himself drily.

Pulling himself up, Jason rubbed his bruised ribs. Then he ripped off his helmet and took off his mask, denying the fact that he shook with the remaining adrenaline. Holstering his gun, he hid a few minutes to get everyone off his tail before he continued his escape.

-/-

When he arrived back to Roy's hideout a few days later, the redhead archer burst into laughter. Jason assumed that meant he spotted the news story of a masked madman cornering and shooting Lex Luthor in his bathroom. Jason grinned and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Satisfied then?"

"You shot him! Twice! I can't believe you were crazy enough to do that." Roy clutched his sides, quickly gaining his composure. "I can definitely give you that stuff for free now and then some." Jason rolled his eyes and leaned down on Roy's desk.

"Excellent. Because I need to add another thing to my order." He pulled out the beaten up grappling hook he stole – it was the best he could do without completely alerting the Bat Cave's security – and dropped it on the table. Roy stared at in surprise.

"Where did you get that?"

"Nicked it."

" _How?_ "

Jason shrugged and supplied no answer. "What do you think? When will you be done with everything?" Roy contemplated the answer, although he knew it already. He grinned at the masked psycho and tapped the edge of his desk.

"Give me another week and they'll be ready. Thanks for the laughs, by the way."

Jason huffed and walked away, ready to leave through the warehouse's windows. "I'll see you then, Arsenal. Don't make me wait too long, or I'll make sure your arm is unusable again."

His plan was to make a quick exit, yet he stopped in his tracks when he heard someone come in through the main entrance. He ducked behind the nearest boxes and listened as an angry Oliver Queen approached his former protégé. "Roy, what did you do?"

"What do you mean?" Roy dropped the telling grappling hook off the side of his desk and assessed the upset archer.

"I mean with the Lex Luthor fiasco. I know you're one of the only people crazy enough and with a motive to try that right now." Oliver crossed his arms and glared. Unfazed, Roy leaned back and returned the gesture.

"That was days ago. Why ask now? And I may have the motive, but I don't have the means. You know I tried that months ago and failed." He growled and returned to his work.

Oliver lost some of the sharpness in his composure and continued in a calmer tone. "I've spent the last few days debating if you were hotheaded enough to bother. And even if you didn't do it, you probably know the person who did, considering you still have that motive."

Jason stilled, dreading the idea that the other former sidekick will rat him out. He rubbed his hand along the side of his gun and waited. He wouldn't kill either of them if Roy said something, but he would be in the mood to cause some quick pain.

"What makes you think I will tell you if I did know?" Roy examined his arrow tip with haughty curiosity, ignoring the failed father in front of him. Oliver became rigid at the statement.

"Roy, no one in the League can risk destroying our reputation right now with messing with Luthor. Trust me, we want that guy in jail, but he has public support in his advantage right now." The disappointed growl could not be disguised in his voice.

"I'm sorry, all I hear is a disgraced father asking his son for something when the son won't even grace him with saying he knows what the hell he's talking about."

Jason grinned from his hiding spot and continued toward his exit. It was nice to know he had one ally he could count on.

-/-

Another week passed and Roy finished his co-patriots order. Currently, he pushed the requested tech toward the Red Hood, expecting the masked vigilante to disappear after a brief thanks like the last time he checked in- and after Roy himself had a good laugh about Luthor.

Instead, he pulled out a chair out of nowhere (the kid was a Bat, he was sure of it with how he seemed to have everything needed on hand at the time). Except, certain weapons, it seemed. The teenager sighed and with shock, Roy watched him pull off his mask. Stormy blue eyes met his and the other vigilante shrugged.

"I saw you have my back with GA earlier, figured I could trust you with this."

Roy snorted. "It's not like that. Anytime I can annoy that bastard I will." However, he did find he trusted him and had no desire to tell anyone who he was even if was asked.

The other boy echoed his sentiments and leaned back in the rickety chair. "Good to know. If you ever have the Bat on your tail I'll return the favor." God, having Batman on him sounded terrifying. With Roy's questioning look, the other boy continued his introduction, facing the far wall. "The name's Jason Todd. I was the second Robin."

That explained some things. Roy, nonetheless, was still confused. That sounded familiar, but that did not fit with information he acquired since he came out of stasis. "Wait-"

"Yeah, I died." Jason rumbled with his posture tense.

Roy blinked, the confusion obvious. "How?"

"The Joker beat me up half to death with a crowbar and blew me up with my mom." His voice was laced with venom, and Roy winced. He meant 'how did you come back to life' not 'how did you die?' Jason gave him a look that Roy decided to dub: you're lucky you're tolerable or I'll shoot you.

" _Too_ much information, dude. I meant how you came back to life not how you died." Roy glared back as the angry teenager scowled at him.

Jason still appeared aggravated, but he didn't pull out his gun and threaten to shoot him full of holes. He considered that a win. "I don't remember being dead, as it were, but it has something to do with a Lazarus Pit."

"How?" Roy asked again. Half his half of the conversation seemed to be centered on that word. He heard of the mythical pools, but he didn't know they could bring people back to life. "And you sure you're not a clone?"

The former Robin shrugged. "Pretty sure. It was Ra's al Ghul whose idea it was, or rather Talia's, but I don't know any reasons why from either of them. Wasn't Luthor, though, and that seems to be his habit." Now it was Roy's turn to scowl.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" He motioned toward the weapons he made for his friend.

Jason had pulled out a knife and was now twirling it between his fingers, eyes dark. "What was the first thing you wanted to do when you got back?"

"Kill Lex Luthor." Roy responded without missing a beat. However, he doubted that was what Jason wanted. The dark-haired teen seemed skilled enough where he could sneak up on a psycho clown and shoot him in the back of the head. He would have done that already.

Jason paused with his knife twirling, glaring at the blade and voice dark, when he answered. "Sounds about right. I want _him_ to do it though." Roy didn't have to ask who he meant. However, he thought the kid was preparing for a losing battle thinking he could get Batman to kill.

He stood up and gave Roy a last assessing glance before he put his mask back on. "But to do that, I need to make a name for myself first. That's why I needed this." He collected the gear Roy made for him. "Thanks." The gruff, awkward word was said so unlike who he was starting to see as Jason Todd and the Red Hood that Roy snorted in amusement. He tried to hide it, but the almost-Bat glare said he failed.

"You know I can kill you in your sleep, Harper."

Roy did not bother to hide his amusement now. "You wouldn't. You still need a weapon supplier that will take a teenager seriously- and not beat him up or report him to the cops. Not to mention you won't risk stealing from the Bat Cave again."

Jason flashed him the bird as he made his way to leave. "Whatever, asshat. I'll see you later."

He smirked, "Proves my point, boy blunder."

"Go to hell."

* * *

 **A/N** : Fin~ I wasn't sure where to end this, but here is as good as any. I imagine Luthor will talk to Ra's and be all 'wtf happened to me' and Ra's will be 'Chill.' Except not quite because that wouldn't really be in character for either of them. I may eventually do an Under the Red Hood story for YJ that kind of continues off this, but that won't be for a few months if that is the case, as I won't add another big project in the middle of wrapping up my others.

Random fact, Jason mentions in the Under the Red Hood comic how he likes shoulder wounds since they hurt like hell, can bleed out slowly, and easy to patch up. I don't know _why_ I remember that specifically; I promise I'm sane. Anyway, that's why he shot Luthor in the shoulders.

Let me know what you think. I can't reply directly to guest reviews, but I'll love you for them anyway, and other reviews I'll make sure to reply to. This was fun to write, I still think it's subpar, and I'll scream at myself at any typos or silly mistakes I missed and spot later. You know, typical writer woes. Thank you to everyone for reading.


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